


Cyanotype

by MiChiAzalie



Category: Fate/EXTRA
Genre: But nothing too explicit tho?, F/M, Fluff, Hakuno still wants her 5-minute recess, Questionable Teaching Methods, Resolved Sexual Tension, Romance, Someone let her have her peace and quiet pls, Stubborn Morons in Love™, lots of swimming, making out underwater
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:08:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25867183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiChiAzalie/pseuds/MiChiAzalie
Summary: In the midst of their interstellar adventures, Gilgamesh makes a stop to teach Hakuno how joyful life can be when she's not holding her emotions back for once... And how to swim.
Relationships: Gilgamesh | Archer/Kishinami Hakuno
Kudos: 41





	Cyanotype

The humid air clings to his skin as he pushes forward, leading the way. Hakuno is following a few steps behind him, her own skin glistening with sweat as well. A hand goes to her forehead, pushing back the locks of hair that cling uncomfortably to her face. It is fortunate that she is wearing appropriate enough clothing -simple tank top, simple shorts, simple everything- or else the humid heat would have taken a toll on her the moment they had set foot on the wilderness of these plains.

Usually, their interplanetary trips led them to uncanny landscapes that were either thriving with hostile lifeforms and even more hostile ecosystems or had aggressive natives making the erred assumption they came all the way there for conquest purposes. The planet they have stumbled upon, however, looked nothing like such; it had an atmosphere composition similar to that from Earth, but it showed no apparent signs of progress or settlements of any kind, looking like it was in the earliest stages of its birth.

While it did not seem to have any qualities that he would deem otherworldly remarkable, it had his mongrel amused. He supposed it had to do with the fact that this was the planet that most resembled Earth out of all the others they had been, somewhere she had never set her feet upon in the first place.

As a life that knew not about the wonders of nature and civilization beyond what the Moon Automaton showed her in poor recreations of places that had once existed on Earth, Hakuno showed inclination towards those worlds that resembled Earth in some way or another, as if she were addled with strange feelings of homesickness.

On a whim, he thought, he would entertain his mongrel’s desires for a chance at seeing an 'Earth' in its most primal stage. What better way to get Hakuno into partaking in the joys of living, amongst many others, than taking her to such uncharted lands? It is somewhat unsightly that she would content herself with something so simple, but he would have to make do with this for the time being.

By itself, he thinks the lands are somewhat mundane, which does not come as a surprise considering its uncanny resemblance to Earth. They landed upon a rainforest that seemed to have no end and stretched far beyond their eyes could see. Earth had some landscapes that remotely looked akin to what lay before them as well, he reckons, but have been declining in favor of human development. Compared to the other planets they have visited, this scenery could hardly be considered astounding, but still, from the corner of his eyes, he watched Hakuno as her eyes darted in badly-concealed wonder all around the strange rainforest of tall trees they have treaded into as if it was the first time she had seen one.

His strange fool, so prone to indulge with so very little, and yet so adamant in holding it back because of... what? Some kind of idiotic thought that good things would not last for long? Ridiculous.

As they keep moving forward and deeper into the forest, a distant screech vibrates through the woods. He idly looks up to the location he thought it came from, unconcerned, and his eyes came across a flying monster circling above in the sky. However, it didn't seem particularly interested in neither of them.

“That doesn’t sound so good, does it?” Hakuno mumbles warily, her eyes still fixed on the creature far above them.

A mocking smirk sets upon his lips at that.

“Does it concern you so, Hakuno?”

The deadpan look comes automatically.

“Digital or not I like my limbs exactly where they are,” she says with a blank stare.

“It is merely surveying the area. It does seem like we are not their prey for the time being,” he tells her dismissively.

“Ah, for now; that’s reassuring,” his mongrel deadpans behind him.

The formerly untouched ground beneath their feet crunches with each step they take, grinding in protest at the sudden weight upon it. There is silence except for the clanking of his bottom-half armor, the skittering of creatures and the occasional cracking of a wood nearby, serving as a reminder that the place is not completely empty.

As they wander around, however, the silence permeating the place breaks as his hearing picks something that has him mildly interested, and the more they advance, the more the sound becomes more noticeable. It’s a sound he’s most familiar with and it’s enough to make him stop if only to contemplate for a brief instant.

His sudden stop makes his mongrel stumble against his back; he hears her make a disconcerted sound of surprise and then a hiss of pain. She quietly curses, so quiet indeed no one but herself could make out what she's said.

But that is without consequence, in the end; there are more pressing issues at hand.

He turns around and tilts his head to the side, giving her an amused grin.

He would recognize the sound for as long as he remained existing; it was the sound of rustling water close to their current position, of that he was sure, and by the sound of it, it’s as if a cascade is pouring nearby.

Such a mundane discovery, and yet he can’t help but laugh at the realization.

“Hakuno, do you hear that?” he asks, his eyes merry even as he watches her make one of those useless looks of hers that stood between concern and hesitation.

“Yeah, I do,” Hakuno replies, scratching the back of her neck as she seems to ponder on something, “...I think it sounds like water, right? What’s wrong?” Hakuno gives him a bemused look.

What’s wrong.

She asks him what’s wrong, as if she could not conceive the mere prospect of relishing in what nature had to offer and forget her concerns for more than a few instants. She was irredeemable.

“Indeed it is, and I do believe we’re not far off. Now, let us make haste, Master!”

Not even waiting to receive a response, Gilgamesh takes Hakuno’s wrist on his hand and drags her behind him, pulling her along as he picks up the pace.

The almost seemingly automatic protest that leaves her lips is also hardly surprising.

“Gil, hold on, we don’t even know what’s up ahead!”

“Of course we do; it’s a waterfall, you fool.”

“Gil-!”

He doesn't need to look at her to know she's making that face of stubborn concern again. Was the fool thinking they would not be capable of pushing forward against anything that planet could unleash upon them? After their share of adventures, such a thought should be ridiculous.

“Idiot, there’s nothing amiss that you would have to make such a fuss about; for someone who has just started a journey across the universe, you almost seem ready to _give up,_ Hakuno.”

“I’m not _making a fuss,_ I just don’t want to get mauled to death by some over-mutated beast.”

His fool of a Master, speaking of such queer concerns at a moment such as this.

“Crass woman; you are the first to lay feet upon this most primal land and still concern yourself over such macabre thoughts.”

“Is it really so weird that I would like to go for _five minutes,_ just five minutes, without pissing something off? We already had a flying beast above our heads just some moments ago and we didn’t even do anything to it!”

Still, even as she protests, she does not try to halt him, keeping up with his pace as best as she can.

He makes a dismissive sound, his hold on Hakuno’s wrist still as tight.

“You make that sound worse than it is.”

As they both rush forward, the unchanging landscape of never-ending trees and vines is soon replaced by that of a grand lake, surrounded all around by green hills teeming with plants at either side and rocks that glowed in a strange faint light. Not only was it wide but it stretched far in the distance; in fact, the forest beyond looked so deep it would almost make the unsuspecting eye believe that it went on forever.

He comes to a halt then, letting go of Hakuno’s wrists as he lets his eyes wander around his surroundings, taking in the place some more.

They stand on top of some rocks four meters and a half above the vast body of water, although there was a somewhat steep pathway that they could take to reach for the shore below. Some of the rocks that enclosed the space all around glistened in a bright azure light, making the whole place seem taken from a blueprint. As expected, at their right is the waterfall the thrum of which he’d heard from afar.

Minerals, jewels, _treasure_ ; his eyes are already glinting with a familiar greed, a knowing rush.

He is already making his way to the springs, walking down the narrow path leading to the shore, Hakuno following right behind quietly, no wonder struck speechless in spite of her earlier protests at rushing in. A few wandering rays of starlight drift down from the dense cloud cover, illuminating the water; up close, one could see how the water rippled and changed beneath the strained light, flickering momentarily to a shadowy navy-blue shade until it settled back to reflect the purplish hue of the sky above them when the clouds dispersed.

Despite himself, he could not help but laugh, the sound carrying all around the area in an echo. Who would have thought? This mundane planet, with all its beasts and its monotone rainforests, did have worthwhile sights after all. It’s a small blessing, but a blessing all the same.

He walks towards an elongated rock nearby that stood now a few meters above the lake below, approaching the small pool of glistening water. As he turns around, he spreads his arms wide, motioning to the scenery behind his back.

“Hakuno, behold this sight; for as it has never been tread upon ever before, we shall be the first to claim its treasures as our own!”

The sound of his merry laughter is partially interrupted by the sound of Hakuno’s awestruck voice. She gives the place a wide-eyed, bright stare, followed by a sigh; an earnest, candid sound as she brushes back her hair as it’s blown into her face by the wind. It was a perfect picture of complete and utter joy, an expression that converged on Hakuno’s face not very often. To think that such a simple thing could inspire such undulated delight from her; while it spoke greatly of her own self-imposed deprivation on pleasure, it also came to show how much she could progress if she let go of her irrational worries for once. In such a state, interested eyes taking in the scenery that stretched out endlessly, Hakuno is truly in her truest.

"This is... so beautiful. Even though I read about these kinds of places back on the Moon Cell... it doesn't compare to the real thing at all.”

As she says this, Hakuno continues to stare at the lake below with an amazed look on her face, lips curling in a small smile, making Gilgamesh think it was a good decision that they got to make a stop on this planet after all, even when he thought it wasn’t particularly interesting by itself. His smirk widens a bit when he sees Hakuno can't stop staring, still trapped by her astonishment.

To that, he chuckles, not unkindly, his laugh close to become a constant echo for the local fauna.

“It is alleviating seeing you finally recognize things worth of merit. Had it taken you more, I would have started to believe your sight was flawed. Come now, Hakuno, let us partake in these waters before day’s end. This has me amused.”

Evidently, instinct had taken over the moment he gazed upon the vast body of water laying ahead; and truly, what better way for Hakuno to witness his splendor than this? In a flickering of golden dust, his bottom-half armor is replaced by swimwear.

He motions for Hakuno to follow, but at that moment something flickers across her face as she watches him dematerialize his armor, standing a few meters away from his current position. Her eyes that had been so bright mere moments ago dulled slightly as a frown formed in her forehead, and before he knew it Hakuno was looking back at him with a somewhat wary expression, one that she used when she uselessly tried not to give things away.

“Uh, wait, no, _no_ , Gil-” as if on cue, she went to protest, her whole corporal expression speaking of apprehension, another useless endeavor. Not completely unsurprisingly, her predisposition seems to change at that, going from being contently astonished to skeptic.

He narrows his eyes in a reprimanding look. He wouldn’t have any of that; why did she always have to be _this_ difficult? 

“Woman, you’re taking the amusement out of this.”

To that, she responds with an expression Gilgamesh could only describe as unbelievable disbelief.

“Why, this place is amazing, can’t I just enjoy my peace and quiet for once?” she laments, baffled.

“ _Peace and quiet?_ This is about pleasure, Hakuno, not about gazing upon your slack face as you sit and remain motionless.”

“So you say.”

He gives her a dirty look at that.

“Look, all I’m saying is that perhaps for today… I’d like to be keeping… guard? Yeah, that’s right. I’ll watch. From afar.” She nods to herself.

That sounds insincere.

For some reason, Hakuno doesn’t seem to look convinced of her own words. She purses her lips, the fine lines of her brow coming together as she looks at Gilgamesh with a frown. She then darts her gaze back at the water, staring back at their reflection with a strange look in her eyes.

Ah.

A malicious, knowing smirk comes to his lips as realization hits.

…What was this? Didn’t his mongrel know how to swim? Was this another irrational fear of hers?

“My mongrel… Is it that you are afraid of water, by any chance?” he coos, knowing the answer to that query already.

Her response to that was a sheepish look, fair features flushed a pale pink, which was also all the confirmation he needed, had he needed one in the first place.

Oh, but he had to laugh at that, too.

“Well, are you not one fortunate mongrel, Hakuno! I do happen to know the remedy to those paltry fears of yours, and you shall be bestowed the privilege that is to have the King share them with you. Aren’t you grateful? You may praise me later as you see fit!”

He stares at her with amused eyes, and she stares back at him, perplexed, as if before her was not the King of Heroes himself standing.

She stares.

And stares.

And stares.

And then, something seems to click in Hakuno’s mind.

And suddenly, she visibly shivers, not in the way he anticipated her to, the faint embarrassed flush on her cheeks dissipating only to be replaced by a more pallid color, as if she had undergone some kind of realization process of her own that lead her to an unsavory conclusion.

“No, nononono, _no_ -”

Whatever epiphany she might have had in the span of those few passing seconds, she is not given a chance to finish what she had wanted to say, if she truly had anything worth to say, that is. Faster than she could blink, Gilgamesh takes Hakuno’s hand in his again and pulls her along with him. She tries to drag her sandals across the ground in some fruitless attempt at halting his progress, evidently to no avail; she was his to do as he pleased, after all, which included the use of the less than orthodox methods his people used on reluctant children when they had to be taught how to swim.

After that failed attempt at a deterrent she’s tried to pull, he has to wonder what was faster; if her frightened screech, or his arms grabbing her from her waist and legs, lifting her up to pull her against his chest before he plunged inside the water with her in his arms, diving in. There was no further warning.

“ _Gil_ -!”

-was the last she was able to say before she was forced to take a sharp intake of breath on instinct as gravity did its work on them, coming closer to dive into the cool water.

They fall inside with a loud splashing, any complaints she might have had completely drowned as they both disappear underwater in a blur of foam. Water rushes from all directions, cool enough that the contrast against his skin feels welcome.

Pulling her closer still against him, the frantic beating of her heart against his both physically and audibly noticeable even as he felt the water rush up his ears, Gilgamesh lets his eyes open, the scenery that greets them like an upside version of the one above, with the rocks glowing in a faint blue light looking like underwater fireworks deep beneath the surface.

He can feel Hakuno tugging at him insistently; he instinctively turns his attention to her, meeting her baffled stare as her legs kick back and forth in some weak attempt at breaking free, to which he lets out a snort from his nose, the liberated oxygen turning into a blur of bubbles that travels up above.

Just then, Hakuno suddenly finds herself hauled upward by her arm, above the water.

When they break surface, Gilgamesh is the first to recover his breath, letting out a mirthful laugh as he did whilst Hakuno ungracefully comes up for air as well, spluttering besides him. He blinks his eyes to get rid of the remaining water and watches as Hakuno slowly tries to process both what has happened and her current state of being. The facial expressions that ensue have him laughing even harder than before; seeing her snort water out of her nose and spitting what little had gone into her mouth with that baffled expression of hers is one of the best things he has ever seen.

Wasn’t his mongrel so amusing?

“Your sentry is full of holes, Hakuno,” he tells her between snorts of laughter.

Hakuno’s brown eyes are wider than Gilgamesh has ever seen. Having recovered from her initial shock, she’s turned her head up to him and she’s now staring at him with unconcealed spite, trembling under the water. It's funny rather than frightening; like that, cheeks reddening in embarrassed fury, with her clothes completely drenched in water, sticking uncomfortably against her skin, and her once wavy hair completely flattened and plastered against her face, Hakuno looks like an angry, yowling cat trying to look threatening. 

“You-you- ** _you_** -”

But whatever dry remark she might have wanted to say is silenced beneath the water as she suddenly sinks her head halfway into it, her protests coming out as distorted bubbling noises as she screams into the water.

His smirk widens.

“You know, Hakuno, this look of yours just now really suits you well. Do keep it as is; I find it quite humorous.”

To that, she pulls her head up to speak, body trembling with frustration. 

“Gilgamesh, I could have drowned!”

He arches a mocking brow at her accusation.

“Ah, but you are floating on your own, are you not?”

…

Hakuno blinks-

“A-Ah…?”

-And then she splutters. Right then, she looks like she was trying to think of an answer that would make her seem less stupid, but apparently none presented itself, as she instead submerges herself into the water again until only her eyes and half of her head are visible. She is now looking at him dejectedly, hiding her embarrassment in grouchiness, to which he snickers.

Regardless, whatever irrational fear and unneeded hesitation that might have addled her was inconsequential, as she had regained her focus and was easily staying afloat even in spite of her soaked clothes, which no doubt are weighting her down slightly.

In the end, however, she does not grace him with an answer, deciding to disappear underwater instead.

His eyes follow the blackened shadow of Hakuno’s form underwater without much concern, being fully aware of where she is and where her limits lay. He instead partakes in the pleasure of being proven right and getting away with it, as for once, Hakuno was doing what was expected from her to do. Evidently, his judgment of the situation has not been erred.

However-

“__!”

-He was not _quite_ expecting for her to have the _nerve_ to reach a hand for his ankle, fingers curling around only to pull him in forcefully enough that he sank under the water with her; he’s barely had time to suck on a breath before he finds himself underwater again with Hakuno floating beneath him, a position that does not last long before she swims and twirls around him until she finds her way on top of him, tackling him then in a motion a little too violent to be considered a hug or anything remotely resembling such, fingers digging into the flesh of his shoulders as she topples him.

Ah, _impudent_ woman.

There’s a strange look of determination in the brunette’s eyes that he barely catches -he recognizes it, the look of rebellion in her brown eyes- before she leans in, the feeling of her lips brushing against his a most welcome addition to the water cooling his skin, only to have her pull away teasingly at the last second.

He recovers easily from his initial shock. Small smile against her lips, he decides to turn her little stunt against her, harshly pulling Hakuno by her waist and pressing his lips against hers, making the girl gasp in surprise whatever small amount of oxygen she has in her lungs as he tastes sweet, _sweet_ mana coming out of her in a tidal wave of emotion; unlike Hakuno, he does not take the time to be subtle about his needs, does not content himself with a simple brush of lips. Instead, he takes everything he can, when he wants.

When he pulls them both upwards due to need for air, heads bursting through the surface of the water, they are still tangled in a mess of limbs. Their lips part to catch their breaths again and-

"Fu..."

It starts as a low chuckle as Hakuno trembles against him, a chuckle that then turns into small laughter.

Soon enough though he's holding a laughing idiot by the waist, her whole glowing in pure mirth as she holds on him for dear life.

Gilgamesh can only watch the stubborn laughing fool who’s tried to outdo him unblinkingly, feeling the start of his own chuckles leaving his throat as well.

He abhorred the thought of showing any sort of appreciation to the accursed contraption that was the Moon Cell, but as he watches her fail to control her fit of laughter he finds himself thinking that much like this planet of monotone, unchanging rainforests, the accursed machine did provide him with a small boon to keep, entirely to himself.

Hakuno’s fingers tug lightly at his hair in a silent, selfish demand to which he obliges, pulling him up to kiss her. Their lips move rhythmically as Gilgamesh’s hands move to slide under Hakuno’s black tank top. Feeling her soft skin under his fingers, he breaks the kiss.

He moves to burrow his head in her neck, lips moving against her wet skin as he speaks up, sounding every bit of smug as ever.

“How endearing, Hakuno. Had I known all it would take you to be this receptive was something this small,” he palms her breasts in his hands, “I would have decided to take you somewhere like this sooner,” then pushes the fabric up to her collarbone.

The reaction this elicited from her was decidedly worth to gaze upon: with the brunette’s eyes blown out, filled with raw emotion as she leans up in again to capture his lips with her own, Hakuno was again, for once, not actively trying to hold her emotions back because of some sort of irrational fear. He relishes in this, in the fact that she doesn’t push away but rather lets herself be indulged to the full extent she deserves.

He decides they will explore through this unknown together, like they will with everything else.

**Author's Note:**

> Writing in present tense is all sugar and rainbows until I get it mixed up with past and I have to go through everything again just to make sure it's semi-coherent. I kind of wrote this in a rush of caffeine, so I hope it was semi-decent at least (?).


End file.
